AGOURA HILLS : Public Works Head Leaves for Covina Job

Vince Mastrosimone, Agoura Hills’ public works director, is leaving to take a similar job in the city of Covina, where he once served as park superintendent.

His last day is today. Mastrosimone, who has held his current job since 1987, said he enjoys his work in Agoura Hills, but is tired of the commute from his home in San Dimas.

“It’s two hours, at least,” said Mastrosimone, who also is the city’s personnel director. “It gets old.”

Otherwise, he said, the Agoura Hills job has been “the best I’ve ever had, and I really mean that,” Mastrosimone told the City Council. “I felt that I was respected and I felt I had a part in improving the good things about Agoura Hills.”

“This is going to be a hole that will be difficult to plug,” City Manager Terry Matz said. “Our loss is going to be Covina’s gain.”

Mastrosimone, 42, also filled in as Agoura Hills’ city manager for about five months, beginning in February, 1993.

“In one respect, it was nice knowing the City Council had the confidence in me, but in the other respect, it just happened to be the rainiest winter in history, and we were plagued with landslides,” he said. “It was quite a handful.”

Asked whether the city would replace Mastrosimone, Mayor Joan Yacovone said Monday: “We are taking an inventory of what services are on line, what we need and then we’ll go from there. (City Manager Terry Matz) is going to give (the City Council) some sort of information as to what he thinks he needs.”

The city, meanwhile, may have to increase the number of hours it contracts out to Willdan Associates, a consulting firm that provides personnel to guide city operations, Yacovone said.